Hazel stood alone at the edge of the Black Lake, watching the marble coffin instead of paying attention to the memorial speech Hagrid was giving. When McGonagall began the service, she had been sandwiched between Flitwick and Professor Sprout, but she'd quietly snuck to the edge of the crowd, feeling like she was going to be sick.

Everyone looked at her differently. They couldn't help it. Sev had killed the one man they could count on to keep them all safe. Even now people were peppering her with questions, asking her if she knew where he had gone or if she had known what he was planning. He was one of the most wanted men in Britain, right up there with Voldemort himself. The fact that she had been cleared - by Veritaserum and a group of well-respected Aurors and Order members, no less - didn't stop everyone from staring at her while she helped to reconstruct the school, whispering in the corridors and in class, or casting hateful glances her way in the Great Hall. Snape had betrayed the school, the Order, and all of them. By proxy, she had too.

Even though there were still exams to supervise, she wandered the castle in a daze. Thankfully classes had just ended, but she soon found herself overseeing all of the Defense Against the Dark Arts exams as well as her own. She was the only person McGonagall trusted to keep order in an exam like that, and, as much as the students hated to admit it, the one who was the most qualified to grade them. All of her Auror training made it certain, though it didn't make things any easier.

Hazel didn't know how to feel. Was this the plan Sev and Dumbledore had been discussing? The Unbreakable Vow he'd made with the Malfoys? Or something else completely? He had begged her to trust him, to have faith in him no matter what disaster befell the school, but this… How could this have been it? It was the ultimate betrayal of everything they had been working towards for years now. If he had gone back to his Death Eater ways, she never would have known, never could have been able to predict it. He'd done it before, back when they were much younger. He'd played his part well. From everything she knew, he had worked diligently for Dumbledore until that night in Astronomy Tower. But she ultimately chose to believe him, since he had assured her things would all work out and there had to be sacrifices along the way.

She'd sent a couple of owls out to track him down, but none of them had come back with messages. They invariably returned still clutching the letters she had sent, unable to find wherever he was hiding out. As she stared at the marble coffin, all she could do was wonder what had happened and question if he was still alive. The only thing that gave her some comfort was the fact that if he had been killed or captured, every newspaper in the wizarding world would have made it a front page story.

After the funeral Hazel faced the uncertainty of summer. She had been working on a book, but there was no way she was going to publish anything even close to being critical of Voldemort until the war was over. So she packed all of her things, going to work in an attic room at Grimmauld Place. She would have gone to the house her aunt and uncle had left her in Sussex, but it was a lot safer to be hidden away from everyone in a place most people didn't know to exist. Even without a Secret-Keeper, the house was still hidden and enchanted to keep people out.

Big things were happening in the wizarding world as she was working. Death Eaters were infiltrating the Ministry and raiding countryside towns, picking off Muggleborns one by one. She wanted to help, but she knew she couldn't be seen with the Order. Voldemort and his followers thought, though cautiously, that she was on their side because of Sev. The Order members knew that she was on theirs. She was in a precarious position, but had no idea where to go from there. All she could do was collect information, keep the fires burning at home, and work on her manuscripts.

She spent much of her time at Grimmauld Place, keeping the house running as Order members moved in and out. Molly Weasley was much better at the job, but she was planning her son Bill's wedding, so much of it fell to Hazel while Molly was away at the Burrow. Cooking meals, making sure everyone had clean laundry, and sitting in on meetings took up most of her time. She also started compiling all of their intelligence, having everyone report to her as they came in. Even though the Order members tried to keep information on a need-to-know basis, she was their central point, the one person who knew more than everyone else combined. They trusted her. Though everyone vehemently detested Snape, she made it clear that she didn't know what he had been planning, she didn't approve of it, and she hadn't talked to him since Dumbledore's death.

The house was empty aside from Dean Thomas, who was hiding out to avoid the Muggleborn Registration Commission. He had been the only one consistently there, and though he was skeptical of Hazel because of Snape, he had eventually warmed up to her. It was Dean who knocked on her door one summer night, an owl balanced carefully on his shoulder. "She's got something for you, and she's not letting me take a look at it."

Hazel stood, coming over to pet the tawny owl. "Hi there, sweetheart," she smiled, carefully reaching for the letter it held in its beak. "Thank you."

"She tried to claw me when I reached for it," Dean told her. Turning to the owl, he added, "Let's get you something to eat. I bet you've been flying for a while. I'm going to take her downstairs so she can get some rest, Professor Ashmore."

"Thanks," she nodded, already tearing the letter open. The handwriting was one she knew well.

Hazel,

Burn this once you read it. I'm alive. I cannot tell you where just yet, but I promise I will see you again by the start of the next term. Big changes are coming to Hogwarts.

Do not say the Dark Lord's name. It is becoming traceable at the end of the month. They may push for an official Taboo early, though, so be careful.

I hope you have not discarded the idea of ever seeing me again. I know I have lied to you in the past, but I promise this was all a part of Dumbledore's plan. He wanted me to be the one to do it because it would have scarred Draco too much. It's too much to ask a boy to become a killer. It's no easier to kill a second time, or a third, as we both know, but Draco is still a child.

I miss you terribly, but above all else I want you to be safe. I've been checking the headlines for your name like I know you've been checking for mine, and I can only assume you're in hiding. Stay there until it is time to return to Hogwarts, and then we can talk in person again.

I'm sorry for all of the pain I know I've caused you.

All my love,

Sev

Hazel held the letter close, rereading it twice before ripping off the last few lines and holding her wand to the corner of the rest. "Incendio." The letter burned up, leaving nothing but a small pile of ash. She held onto the "All my love, Sev" portion though. Even if he couldn't be there with her, it was some comfort. As she went to respond, all she could think of was Sev, sitting in hiding somewhere, waiting and biding his time. She hoped that he was safe. If he could write, he believed himself to be safe. He wouldn't have sent an owl otherwise.

"Dean, is that owl rested up enough?" she asked, emerging from the attic with a letter a little while later. "Hello there, Mr. Longbottom. Staying with us for a bit?"

She would receive a couple more letters in the coming weeks, Sev assuring her that he was alright and that he would see her soon. Over time he gave her snippets of information about where he was staying. From what she could deduce, he'd found a house on the Scottish coast to hide out in. Details were sparse, but she felt better knowing that he was alright, even if she couldn't be there.